Coiler assembly

ABSTRACT

AN IMPROVED COILER ASSEMBLY FOR COILING SLIVER IN A STATIONARY CONTAINER INCLUDES A COILER HEAD WHICH IS SIMULTANEOUSLY ROTATED BY A FIRST DRIVE TRAIN ABOUT AN AXIS WHICH IS OFFSET FROM A CENTRAL AXIS OF THE CONTAINER AND BY A SECOND DRIVE TRAIN ABOUT THE CENTER AXIS OF THE CONTAINER. ROTATION OF THE COILER HEAD ABOUT THE FIRST AXIS RESULTS IN THE FORMATION OF A COIL OF SILVER IN THE CONTAINER WHILE ROTATION ABOUT THE CENTRAL AXIS OF THE CONTAINER DISPLACES LOOPS OF THE COIL OF SILVER RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER. AN ECCENTRIC IS PROVIDED FOR ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF THE COILER HEAD RELATIVE TO THE CENTRAL AXIS OF THE CONTAINER TO ENABLE SILVER OF DIFFERENT THICKNESSES TO BE COILED IN THE SAME RELATIONSHIP WITH A WALL OF THE CONTAINER. A TRANSMISSION MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE DRIVE TRAINS TO A SOURCE OF POWER INCLUDES A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF GEARS SO THAT THE GEAR RATIO OF THE TRANSMISSION MEANS AND THE RATE AT WHICH THE COILER HEAD IS ROTATED AROUND THE CENTRAL AXIS OF THE CONTAINER CAN BE ADJUSTED TO VARY THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE LOOPS OF SILVER ARE DISPLACED RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER.

Feb. 16, 1971 J, H. OSGOOD ET AL COILER Ass-Emu Y 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 8; 1968 I L -(U mvamons JOHN H. 030000 STEVEN W KU/VDRAC'H jrimvers Feb. 16, 1971 J. H. oscaooo ET AL 3,562,864

COILER ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 8, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I/VVA/TORS (JOHN H 086000 STEVE/V PM KUNDRACH Feb. 16, 1971 J. H. oscaoon ET AL 3,562,864

comm ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 8. 1968 s Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VENTORS JOHN H 0.90000 572%?! N. KUNDAACH ATTORNEYS Feb. 16, 1971 J. H. OSGOOD :T A; 3,562,864

COILER ASSEMBLY 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed OCb. 8, 1968 li llll llll ll l 'llll INVENTUI5 W W m 3,562,864 COILER ASSEMBLY John H. Osgood, Chagrin Falls, and Steven W. Kundrach, South Euclid, Ohio, assignors to The Warner & Swasey Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Oct. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 765,853 Int. Cl. B65h 54/80 US. Cl. 19-159 25 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved coiler assembly for coiling sliver in a stationary container includes a coiler head which is simultaneously rotated by a first drive train about an axis which is ofiset from a central axis of the container and by a second drive train about the central axis of the container. Rotation of the coiler head about the first axis results in the formation of a coil of sliver in the container while rotation about the central axis of the container displaces loops of the coil of sliver relative to each other. An eccentric is provided for adjusting the position of the coiler head relative to the central axis of the container to enable sliver of different thicknesses to be coiled in the same relationship with a wall of the container. A transmission means for connecting the drive trains to a source of power includes a plurality of pairs of gears so that the gear ratio of the transmission means and the rate at which the coiler head is rotated around the central axis of the container can be adjusted to vary the extent to which the loops of sliver are displaced relative to each other.

This invention relates generally to a coiler assembly and more particularly to an assembly for coiling sliver in a stationary container.

Sliver is packer in containers by rotating a coiler head with a drive train to deposit the sliver in convoluted form, that is in a coil having its loops at least partially displaced relative to each other. It is desirable to be able to vary the extent of displacement of the loops of sliver relative to each other to enable a greater or lesser number of loops of sliver to be deposited at any given level in the container. It is also desirable to locate loops of sliver of different thicknesses in the same relationship with a wall of the container.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved drive mechanism which is both compact and dependable for rotating a coiler head to deposit sliver in convolutions in a container.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved sliver coiler assembly for packing sliver in a convoluted form in a container wherein the coiler assembly is selectively adjustable to locate loops of s iver of different thicknesses in the same relationship with a wall of the container.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved coiler assembly for packing sliver in a convoluted form in a container wherein the coiler assembly includes an adjustable drive to enable the extent of displacement of the loops of sliver relative to each other to be selectively varied.

These and other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a coiler assembly for packing sliver in a stationary container;

FIG. 2 is a sectional schematic illustration, taken on a reduced scale along a line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing the relationship of the coiled sliver to a wall of the container;

United States Patent 3,562,864 Patented Feb. 16, 1971 "ice FIG. 3 is a schematic plan illustration, on an enlarged scale, showing drive trains for rotating a coiler head of the coiler assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view, taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3, illustrating the mounting of a coiler plate on a base and the mounting of the coiler head on the coiler plate;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3, illustrating a calender roll assembly mounted on the coiler head for feeding sliver into the stationary container;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view further illustrating the mounting of the coiler head on the coiler plate;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view further illustrating the mounting of the coiler plate on the base;

FIG. 8 is a partially broken away view of a transmission for connecting the coiler assembly with a source of power;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view, taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 8, illustrating the relationship between the trans mission and a drive train for rotating the coiler head relative to an axis offset from a central axis of the container; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view, taken along the line 1010 of FIG. 8, illustrating the relationship between the transmission and a drive train for rotating the coiler head relative to the central axis of the container.

The present invention provides a sliver coiler assembly having a coiler head which is rotated about a first axis relative to a stationary container by a first drive train to form a coil of sliver having a plurality of loops. The coiler head is rotated by a second drive train about a second axis to olTset the loops of sliver relative to each other. The rate at which the second drive train rotates the coiler head relative to the second axis can be selectively varied to alter the extent to which the loops of sliver are displaced relative to each other. The position of the coiler head relative to a wall of the container can be changed by turning an eccentric to thereby enable the coiler head to be adjusted to deposit loops of sliver of dilferent thicknesses in the same relationship with the wall of the container.

A coiler assembly 10 for packing sliver, i.e. an untwisted strand or rope of textile fiber, in a stationary container 12 is illustrated in FIG. 1 and is constructed in accordance with the present invention. The sliver is fed into the stationary container 12 by a calender roll assembly 14 mounted on a rotatable coiler head '16. The sliver is formed into a coil as it is fed from the calender roll assembly 14 by rotation of the coiler head 16 in a clockwise direction (when viewed from above in FIG. 1) about its central axis, indicated at 20 in FIGS. 1 and 4, by a first or coiler head drive train 24. During this rotation of the coiler head 16 about the first axis 20 and the feeding of the sliver into the stationary container 12 by the calender roll assembly 14, the coiler head 16 is also rotated about a second axis 28 which is offset relative to the first or coiler head axis 20 and is coincident with the central axis of the container 12. Rotation of the coiler head 16 about the second axis 28 displaces the loops 32 of sliver (see FIG. 2) relative to each other so that the sliver is deposited in the stationary container 12 in a generally convoluted form with the loops displaced relative to each other and packed in a series of layers or levels. A second or coiler plate drive train 34 rotates the coiler head 16 about the axis 28 in a generally clockwise direction (when viewed from above in FIG. 1) by rotating a coiler plate 36 on which the coiler head is mounted.

It is contemplated that the coiler assembly 10 will be used for coiling and packing sliver having different thicknesses. In order to provide for neat and compact packing of sliver of different thicknesses in containers similar to the container 12, an adjustment assembly 40 is provided for varying the distance between the calender roll assembly 14 and a vertically extending side of the container. The adjustment assembly 40 enables loops of sliver of different thicknesses to be positioned in the container 12 with their outer peripheries, indicated at 4.2 in FIG. 2, in abutting engagement with a cylindrical wall 44 ,of the container. Accordingly, the adjustment assembly 40 includes an eccentric 48 (see FIGS. 1, 3 and 4) which is located in a circular opening 50 in the coiler plate 36 and is rotatable relative to the coiler plate to vary the distance which the axis and calender roll assembly 14 are offset from the central axis 28 and sidewall 44 of the container 12. Suitable clamping means 54 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) is provided for holding the eccentric 48 against unwanted rotation once the coiler head 16 has been set to a predetermined position relative to the sidewall 44 of the container 12. I

,The coiler head assembly 16 supports the calender roll assembly 14 for rotation about the central axis 20 of the coiler head assembly. To this end, the calender roll assembly 14 is mounted on a circular plate or bottom wall 58 of the coiler head assembly 16 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). A generally circular axially extending wall or rim 60 (FIG. 4) is connected to the head plate 58 by clamps 64. The coiler head 16 is rotatably connected to the eccentric 48 and coiler plate 36 by a bearing assembly 66 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) located between the wall 60 of the coiler head 16 and a wall or rim 70 of the eccentric 48. The bearing assembly 66 ('FIG. 6) includes an outer race 72 which is connected to the rim 70 of the eccentric 48 and an inner race 74 which is connected to the wall 60 of the coiler head 16. Suitable rollers or balls 76 engage the races 72 and 74 to mount the coiler head 16 for rotation relative to the eccentric 48 and to retain the coiler head 16 against axial movement. The plate 58 extends into a recess 80 formed in the eccentric 48 to further retain the coiler head 16 against axial movement in the upward direction. This additional protection against upward movement of the coiler head 16 is necessitated by the pressure which the sliver exerts against the bottom surface of the coiler head after the container 12 has been filled and additional sliver is being packed into the container.

The coiler head 16 and calender roll assembly 14 are rotated about the central axis 20 of the coiler head 16 by the first or coiler head drive train 24 to form the sliver in a coil as it is being fed into the container by the calender roll assembly 14. The sliver enters the calender roll assembly through a trumpet 84 (FIGS. 3 and 4) which extends downwardly toward the nip of a pair of calender rolls 86 and 88 which are driven by a calender roll drive assembly 92 to feed the sliver through a tube 94 and an opening 96 in the plate 58. The calender roll assembly 14 is driven by the drive assembly 92, while the coiler head 16 is rotated, to feed the sliver into the container 12 through the opening 96. The aforementioned rotation of the coiler head 16 about its central axis 20 forms the sliver into a coil as it is fed from the calender roll assembly 14 into the container 12.

In order to form the sliver into a coil having uniform loop 32, the rate at which the sliver is fed by the calender roll assembly 14 is directly proportional to the rate of rotation of the coiler head 16 relative to the coilerplate 36. This is because the power input to the calender roll drive assembly 92 is through a spur gear 100 which extends through an aperture in the axially extending wall 60 (FIG. 3) to engage a ring gear 104 formed on an interior side of the axially extending wall 70. Since the ring gear 104 rotates with the coiler plate 36, rotation of the coiler head 16 relative to the coiler plate 36 drives the gear 100 to operate the calender roll assembly 14. Rotation of the spur gear 100 drives the calender roll assembly through the drive assembly 92 which further includes a change or calender gear 108 which is mounted on a shaft 110 in meshing engagement with a second change or calender gear 114. The gear 114 is in turn mounted on a shaft 116 upon which a crown gear 118 (see FIG. 5) is mounted in meshing engagement with a crown gear 120 connected to the lower calender roll 88. The upper calender roll 86 is driven by means of meshing gears 124 and 126 which are connected to the axles 128 and 130 Of the calender rolls 86 and 88.

The coiler head 16 is rotated about the central axis 28 of the container 12 simultaneously with the rotation of the coiler head about the axis 20 to displace the loops 32 of coiled sliver relative to each other. Since the displacement of each of the loops 32 is relatively small compared to the length of the sliver which must be fed to form each of the loops, the rate of rotation of the coiler head 16 about the axis 28 is relatively slow compared to the rate of rotation of the coiler head about the axis 20. This relatively slow rotation about the axis 28 allows the calender roll assembly 14 to feed the sliver necessary to form the loops 32 as the loops are displaced. The coiler head 16 is rotated about the axis 28 by the second or coiler plate drive assembly 34 which includes a drive gear 136 mounted on a base 140 (see FIGS. 1, 3 and 4). Rotation of the drive gear 136 rotates a ring gear 142 which is fixedly connected to the coiler plate 36 to rotate the coiler plate about the central axis 28 of the container 12, the axis 28 being coincident with the central axis of the generally circular coiler plate 36. Since the coiler head 16 is supported on the coiler plate 36, rotation of the coiler plate about the central axis 28 also rotates the coiler head 16 about the axis 28. As the coiler head 16 is rotated about the axis 28 the loops of sliver being formed by rotation of the coiler head 16 about the axis 20 are deposited in the container 12 in a manner similar to that illustrated in FIG. 2.

The coiler plate 36 is rotatably connected to the base 140 by a bearing assembly 146 (see FIG. 7) which also retains the coiler plate 36- against axial movement. The bearing assembly 146 has an inner race 148 on an axially extending wall or rim 152 of the coiler plate 36. An outer race 156 of the bearing assembly 146 is formed on an annular blocking member or ring 160 which is secured to the base 140 by clamps 162. A bearing roller element or ball 164 engages the races 148 and 156 in a known manner to facilitate relative rotation between the coiler plate 36 and base 140. The bearing elements 164 also cooperate with the races 148 and 156 to retain the coiler plate 36 against axial movement relative to the base 140. The coiler plate 36 includes a portion which extends radially beyond the wall 152 into a recess 166 formed between the base 140 and a lower surface of the blocking ring 160. This engagement between the coiler plate 36 and the lower sur: face of the blocking ring 160 prevents the coiler plate from being moved upwardly'by sliver within the container 12 as the container is being packed with sliver.

The first or coiler head drive train 24 (see FIGS. 1, 3 and 4) rotates the coiler head 16 about the axis 20 as the coiler head is being rotated about the central axis 28 of the container 12. To this end, the coiler head drive train 24 includes a drive gear 170 which is rotatably mounted on the base 140 in meshing engagement with a ring gear 172 formed on an outer portion of an annular support member 174 (see FIGS. 4 and 7). The support member 174 is rotatably mounted on the wall 152 by a bearing assembly 178 (FIG. 7) having an inner race 180 and an outer race 182 with bearing rollers or balls 184 between the races. It should be noted that the drive train 24 is relatively compact due to the mounting of the annular support member 174 on an upper portion 188 of the wall 152 and the connecting of the wall 152 to the blocking member 160 by the bearing assembly 146 on a lower portion 190 of the wall. The compactness of the combined drive trains 24 and 34 is promoted due to the formation of the ring gear 142 of the drive train 34 on a radially outer portion of a flange 194 located between the bearing assemblies 146 and 178.

In addition to the gears 170 and 172, the coiler head drive train 24 includes an idler gear 200 which is mounted in meshing engagement with a ring gear 204 formed on a radially inner portion of the support member 174 (see FIG. 3). The idler gear 200 in turn drives a ring gear 206 which is formed on a radially outer portion of the coiler head Wall 60. Thus, rotation of the support member 174 relative to the coiler plate 36 by the drive gear 170 rotates the idler gear 200, through the ring gears 172 and 204, to rotate the coiler head 16 by means of the ring gear 206 which is fixedly connected to the coiler head. The idler gear 200 is mounted on a shaft 210 (see FIG. 3) which is slidably mounted in a slot 212 for movement relative to the coiler plate 36 to enable the idler gear 200 to be maintained in meshing engagement with the ring gear 206 and the ring gear 204 when the eccentric 48 is rotated to adjust the position of the coiler head 16 relative to the coiler plate 36.

In order to coordinate the rotation of the coiler head 16 about the two axes 20 and 28, the drive trains 24 and 34 are connected to a source of power by a common transmission assembly 250 (see FIGS. 1 and 8). The transmission assembly 250 includes a central or main drive shaft 254 (FIG. 8) which is connected by a suitable coupling 256 to a source of power. A crown gear 260 is connected to the drive shaft 254 for driving the coiler head drive gear 170 (see FIG. 1 also) through meshing engagement with a second crown gear 262 (see FIG. 9). The coiler plate drive gear 136 (FIG. 8) is operatively connected to the main drive shaft 254 by a gear assembly 264. The gear assembly 264 includes a pair of gears 266 which drivingly connect the shaft 254 to a secondary drive shaft 270. The secondary drive shaft 270 is drivingly connected by a worm gear 274 with a wheel 276 (see FIGS. 8 and 10). The wheel 276 is connected with the drive gear 136 by a shaft 278.

Under certain circumstances it is desirable to be able to vary the extent to which the loop of sliver are displaced relative to each other. To this end, the transmission 250 is adjustable to vary the rate at which the coiler head 16 is rotated about the axis 28 relative to the rate at which the coiler head is rotated about the axis 20. Varying the rate at which the coiler head rotates about the axis 28, while maintaining constant the rate at which the coiler head 16 rotates about the axis 20, enables the displacement between the loops to be varied as they are formed by the rotation of the coiler head 16 about the axis 20. To facilitate this variation in rate of rotation of the coiler head 16 about the axis 28, the transmission 250 includes a set of gears made of a plurality of pairs of gears (only the pair 266 being shown) having different numbers of teeth and mountable in meshing engagement on the shafts 270 and 254. By replacing the pair of gears illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 10, that is gears 280 and 282, with a pair of gears (not shown). having a different drive ratio, the rate of rotation of the drive gear 136 is varied relative to the rate of rotation of the drive gear 170. By varying the rate of rotation of the drive gear 136 relative to the drive gear 170, the rate of rotation of the coiler head 16 about the axis 28 is varied relative to the rate of rotation of the coiler head about the axis 20 to effect variation in the extent of displacement of the loops of sliver relative to each other.

When the rate of rotation of the coiler head 16 about the axis 28 is varied by changing the gears 280 and 282, the rate at which the sliver is fed by the calender rolls 86 and 88 is not changed to such an extent as to maintain the same relationship between the rate of sliver feed and the rate of rotation of the calender roll assembly 14 about the axis 28. This is because the rate of sliver feed is determined by the rate of relative rotation between the ring gear 204 in one direction and the rate of rotation of the coiler plate 36 in the opposite direction. When the relationship between the rate of rotation of the calender roll assembly 14 about the axis 28 and the rate of sliver feed varies, the shape of the loops 32 will be changed from the generally circular configuration shown in FIG. 2.

In order to maintain the configuration of the loops 32 substantially constant with variations in the rate of rotation of the calender roll assembly 14 about the axis 28, the change or calender gears 108 and 114 are changeable or variable to change the rate at which the rolls 86 and 88 are driven. To this end, a plurality of sets of change gears are provided. Each set of change gears is generally similar to the set of change gears including the gears 108 and 114 and are sized to drive the calender rolls 86 and 88 at different rates. By replacing the change gears 108 and 114 with a set of change gears having a suitable drive ratio when the drive ratio of the gears 280 and 282 is changed, the rate of sliver feed by the rolls 86 and 88 can be varied to maintain the shape of the loops 32 of sliver substantially constant.

In view of the foregoing remarks it can be seen that the coiler assembly 10 includes a coiler head 16 which is rotated about a first axis 20 by a coiler head drive train 24. The drive train 24 includes a drive gear which rotates ring gears 172 and 204 relative to the coiler plate 36. Rotation of the ring gear 204 relative to the coiler plate 36 causes the idler gear 200 to rotate the coiler head 16 through the ring gear 206. As the coiler head 16 rotates relative to the coiler plate 36, the ring gear 104 drives the calender roll assembly 14 through the drive assembly 92. The calender roll assembly 14 is mounted for rotation with the coiler head 16 so that the sliver is coiled in the stationary container 12 as the calender roll assembly is rotated with the coiler head 16 about the axis 20.

The loops of sliver are offset or displaced relative to each other by rotation of the coiler head 16 and calender roll assembly 14 about the central axis 28 of the container 12. By selectively changing the gearing in the transmission 250, the rate at which the coiler head is rotated about the axis 28 can be varied to vary the displacement of the loops relative to each other. Since a relatively large number of loops of sliver are deposited on each level in the container 12 and each loop is offset a small distance relative to the next adjacent loop, the coiler plate 36 is rotated at a relatively slow rate around the axis 28 by the drive train 24 contemporaneously with the rotation of the coiler head 16 about the axis 20.

Having described my invention herewith, I claim:

1. A coiler assembly for use in coiling sliver within a container, said coiler assembly comprising a base, a calender roll assembly supported by said base for feeding the sliver into the container while the container is substantially stationary, a first drive means for rotating said calender roll assembly relative to both said base and container about a first axis which is offset relative to a central axis of the container to enable the sliver to form a coil having a plurality of loops as the sliver is fed into the container by said calender roll assembly, a second drive means for rotating said calender roll assembly relative to said base about a second axis which is aligned with the central axis of the container simultaneously with the rotation of said calender roll assembly about the first axis to thereby displace the loops of sliver relative to each other in the substantially stationary container, transmission means for connecting said first and second drive means with a source of power, said transmission means including selectively variable gear means for varying the rate at which said calender roll assembly is rotated relative to the base about the second axis to thereby enable the extent to which the loops of sliver are displaced relative to each other to be varied, eccentric means for varying the distance between said calender roll assembly and the second axis to enable the relationship between the calender roll assembly and the substantially stationary container to be varied to locate the periphery of loops of sliver having different thicknesses in the same relationship with the side of the substantially stationary container, a generally circular coiler plate positioned between said base and eccentric means, said eccentric means being mounted in an opening in said coiler plate and rotatable relative to said coiler plate to effect the variation in the distance between said calender roll assembly and the second axis, said coiler plate being mounted for rotation about the second axis under the influence of said second drive means, and an axially extending generally circular wall connected to said coiler plate, said second drive means including a radially outwardly extending flange connected to said wall with a first ring gear formed on a radially outermost portion of said flange, a first drive gear mounted on said base in meshing engagement with said first ring gear for rotating said first ring gear and coiler plate relative to said base about the second axis, said first drive means including an annular support member rotatably mounted on said flange, a second ring gear formed on a radially outer portion of said support member, a second drive gear mounted on said base in meshing engagement with said second ring gear for rotating said support member relative to said flange and coiler plate, and gear means for drivingly interconnecting said support member and said calender roll assembly to rotate said calender roll assembly about said first axis upon rotation of said support member.

2. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said calender roll assembly includes a plurality of rolls for feeding the sliver and calender gear means for driving said calender rolls, said calender gear means being selectively variable to vary the rate at which the rolls are driven to enable the configuration of the loops of sliver to be maintained substantially constant with variations in the rate of rotation of the calender roll assembly about the second axis.

3. A coiler assembly for use in coiling sliver within a stationary container, said coiler assembly comprising a base, a calender roll assembly supported by said base for feeding the sliver into the stationary container, first drive means for rotating said calender roll assembly relative to both said base and container about a first axis which is offset relative to a central axis of the container to enable the sliver to form a coil having a plurality of loops as the sliver is fed into the container by said calender roll assembly, second drive means for rotating said calender roll assembly relative to said base and container about a second axis which is aligned with the central axis of the container simultaneously with the rotation of said calender roll assembly about the first axis to thereby displace the loops of sliver relative to each other, a first member mounted for rotation by said first drive means about the first axis and connected with said calender roll assembly and a second member mounted for rotation by said second drive means about said second axis, adjustment means for varying the distance between the first and second axes to enable the relationship between said calender roll assembly and container to be selectively varied to locate the periphery of loops of sliver having different thicknesses in the same relationship with a side of the container, said adjustment means including an eccentric member mounted on said second member and extending around said first member, said eccentric member being movable relative to at least one of said first and second members to vary the position of said first member relative to said second member to thereby elfect the variation in the distance between the first and second axes, and a third drive means for operating said calender roll assembly, said third drive means including a ring gear fixedly connected to said eccentric member and a gear mounted on said first member in meshing engagement with said ring gear, said gear mounted on said first member being rotatable by relative rotation between said first member and said eccentric member to drive said calender roll assembly.

4. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 3 further including transmission means for connecting said first and second drive means to a source of power, said transmission means including selectively changeable input gear means associated with said second drive means for enabling said calender roll assembly to be rotated about the second axis at different rates to thereby vary the amount of displacement of the loops of sliver relative to each other.

5. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said calender roll assembly includes a plurality of rolls which are rotatable to feed the sliver and calender gear means operatively associated with said second drive means for driving said calender rolls at a rate which varies with variations in the rate of rotation of said calender roll assembly about the second axis, said calender gear means being selectively changeable to enable the rate of rotation of the calender rolls to be varied in such a manner as to maintain the configuration of the loops of sliver substantially constant with variations in the rate of rotation of the calender roll assembly about the second axis.

6. A coiler assembly for use in coiling sliver within a stationary container, said coiler assembly comprising a coiler head assembly including a plurality of calender rolls for feeding the sliver into the stationary container, base means for supporting said coiler head assembly above the stationary container which receives sliver from said calender rolls, a generally circular coiler plate located between said base means and coiler head assembly, an axially extending and generally circular wall connected to said coiler plate, said wall including a radially outwardly extending flange with a first ring gear formed on a radially outermost portion of said flange, a first drive gear mounted on said base means in meshing engagement with said first ring gear for rotating said first ring gear and coiler plate relative to said base means about a central axis of said container, said coiler head assembly including a second ring gear mounted for rotation with said coiler head assembly about another axis offset from the central axis of the container, an annular support member rotatably mounted on said wall, a third ring gear formed on a radially inwardly portion of said support member, an idler gear rotatably mounted on said coiler plate in meshing engagement with said second and third ring gears for transmitting drive forces therebetween, a fourth ring gear formed on a radially outer portion of said support member, and a second drive gear mounted on said base means in meshing engagement With said fourth ring gear for rotating said support member relative to said flange and coiler plate to thereby rotate said idler gear and coiler head assembly, said coiler head assembly being rotatable about the other axis at a first rate upon rotation of said second drive gear to form a coil of sliver in the container, said coiler plate and coiler head assembly being rotatable about the central axis of the container at a second rate which is slower than the first rate upon rotation of said first drive gear to displace the loops of the coiler of sliver relative to each other.

, 7. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 6 further including a generally circular and axially support rim connected to said coiler plate for rotatably supporting said coiler head assembly, and a fifth ring gear formed on a radially inner portion of said support rim and located axially inwardly of said second ring gear, said coiler head assembly including gear means mounted in meshing engagement with said fifth ring gear for driving said calender roll assembly at a rate which is a function of the rate of rotation of said coiler head assembly relative to said coiler plate.

8. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein said gear means includes a plurality of gears which are selectively interchangeable to vary the rate at which the calender roll assembly is driven and the rate at which sliver is fed into the container with variations in the rate of rotation of said coiler head assembly relative to said coiler plate.

9. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 6 further including bearing means having one race on said base means and another race on said wall to support said coiler plate for rotation relative to said base means and to retain said coiler plate against axial movement relative to said base means.

10. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 6 further including adjustment means for varying the distance between said calender roll assembly and the central axis of the container to enable the relationship between the calender roll assembly and the container to be varied to locate the periphery of loops of sliver having different thicknesses in the same relationship with the container.

11. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein said adjustment means includes an eccentric located between said coiler plate and coiler head assembly for varying the position of said coiler head assembly relative to said coiler plate.

12. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 11 further including a generally circular support rim located on said eccentric for supporting said coiler head assembly, said eccentric being fixedly connected to said support rim and including a circular surface which engages said coiler plate at a location outwardly of said support rim.

13. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 12 wherein said coiler head assembly includes a support plate which is located within an opening defined by said eccentric and is rotatable relative to said eccentric and said eccentric includes an abutment surface for engaging an upper surface portion of said support plate to retain said support plate against axially upward movement relative to said coiler plate.

14. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 6 further including transmission means for driving said first and second drive gears, said transmission means including changeable gear means for enabling the speed of relative rotation between said first and second drive gears to be selectively varied to thereby vary the extent of displacement of the loops of the coil of sliver relative to each other by varying the rate of relative rotation between said coiler head assembly and said coiler plate.

15. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 14 said coiler head including calender gear means for driving said calender rolls, said calender gear means being changeable to enable the rate at which the sliver is fed by said calen der rolls to be varied in such a manner as to maintain the configuration of the loops of sliver substantially constant with variations in the speed of relative rotation between said first and second drive gears.

16. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 6 further including first bearing means for supporting said support member for rotation relative to said wall, said first bearing means including a first race on said wall on one side of said flange, a second rate on said support member and a first group of bearing elements engaging said first and second races to rotatably mount said support member on said wall and to retain said support member against axial movement relative to said wall, said coiler assembly further including a second bearing means for supporting said wall and coiler plate for rotation relative to said base means, said second bearing means including a third race on said wall on a side of said flange opposite from said one side, a fourth race on said base means and a second group of bearing elements engaging said third and fourth races to rotatably mount said coiler plate and wall on said base means and to retain said coiler plate and wall against axial movement relative to said base means.

17. A coiler assembly for using in coiling sliver within a container, said coiler assembly comprising a base, a calender roll assembly supported by said base for feeding the sliver into the container while the container is substantially stationary, a first drive means for rotating said calender roll assembly relative to both said base and container about a first axis which is offset relative to a cen tral axis of the container to enable the sliver to form a coil having a plurality of loops as the sliver is fed into the container by said calender roll assembly, a second drive means for rotating said calender roll assembly relative to said base about a second axis which is aligned with the central axis of the container simultaneously with the rotation of said calender roll assembly about the first axis to thereby displace the loops of sliver relative to each other in the substantially stationary container, transmission means for connecting said first and second drive means with a source of power, eccentric means for varying the distance between said calender roll assembly and the second axis to enable the relationship between the calender roll assembly and the substantially stationary container to be varied to locate the periphery of loops of sliver having different thicknesses in the same relationship with the side of the substantially stationary container, a generally circular coiler plate positioned between said base and eccentric means, said eccentric means being mounted in an opening in said coiler plate and rotatable relative to said coiler plate to effect the variation in the distance between said calender roll assembly and the second axis, said coiler plate being mounted for rotation about the second axis under the influence of said second drive means, and an axially extending generally circular wall connected to said coiler plate, said second drive means including a radially outwardly extending flange connected to said wall with a first ring gear formed on a radially outermost portion of said flange, a first drive gear mounted on said base in meshing engagement with said first ring gear for rotating said first ring gear and coiler plate relative to said base about the second axis, said first drive mean including an annular support member rotatably mounted on said wall, a second ring gear formed on a radially outer portion of said support member, a second drive gear mounted on said base in meshing engagement with said second ring gear for rotating said support member relative to said flange and coiler plate, and gear means for drivingly interconnecting said support member and said calender roll assembly to rotate said calender roll assembly about said first axis upon rotation of said support member.

18. A coil assembly as set forth in claim 17 further including a generally circular support rim connected to said eccentric means in a coaxial relationship with the second axis.

19. A coil assembly as set forth in claim 17 further including first bearing means for supporting said support member for rotation relative to said wall, said first bearing means including a first race on said wall on one side of said flange, a second race on said support member and a first group of bearing elements engaging said first and second races to rotatably mount said support member on said wall and to retain said support member against axial movement relative to said wall, said coiler assembly further including a second bearing means for supporting said wall and coiler plate for rotation relative to said base, said second bearing means including a third race on said wall on a side of said flange opposite from said one side, a fourth race on said base means and a second group of bearing elements engaging said third and fourth races to rotatably mount said coiler plate and wall on said base means and to retain said coiler plate and wall against axial movement relative to said base means.

20. A coiler assembly for use in coiling sliver within a stationary container, said coiler assembly comprising a coiler head assembly including a head plate and a plu rality of calender rolls mounted on said head plate for feeding sliver into the stationary container, base means for supporting said coiler head assembly above the stationary container, a coiler plate circumscribing said head plate and supported by said base means for rotation relative to the stationary container, an eccentric mounted between said coiler plate and head plate, first drive means for rotating said coiler head assembly relative to both said coiler plate and container about a first axis which is 1 l oifset relative to a central axis of the container to enable the sliver to form a coil having a plurality of loops as the sliver is fed into the container by said calender rolls, said first drive means including a first gear fixedly connected with said head plate, an idler gear mounted on said coiler plate and extending at least part way across said eccentric into meshing engagement with said first gear, and a second gear disposed in meshing engagement with said idler gear for rotating said idler gear to thereby drive said first gear to rotate said head plate and calender rolls relative to said eccentric and coiler plate, second drive means for rotating said coiler head assembly and coiler plate relative to said base means and container about a second axis which is aligned with the central axis of the container simultaneously with the rotation of said coiler head assembly about the first axis to thereby displace the loops of sliver relative to each other, means for enabling the position of said eccentric to be varied relative to said coiler plate to thereby vary the distance between the first and second axes and the relationship between said calender rolls and the container to locate the periphery of loops of sliver having different thicknesses in the same relationship with a side of the container, and means for adjusting the position of said idler gear relative to said coiler plate to maintain said idler gear in meshing engagement with said first and second gears upon a change in the position of said eccentric relative to said coiler plate.

21. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 20 further including a circular coiler head wall fixedly connected to and extending outwardly of said head plate in a coaxial relationship with said first axis, said first gear being fixedly connected to said coiler head wall.

22. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 21 further including a circular support wall fixedly connected to said eccentric and extending generally parallel to said coiler head wall, and bearing means operatively interconnecting said coiler head wall and said support wall for supporting said coiler head assembly for rotation relative to said eccentric and said coiler plate.

23. A coiler assembly for use in coiling sliver within a stationary container, said coiler assembly comprising a coiler head assembly including a head plate and a plurality of calender rolls mounted on said head plate for feeding sliver into the stationary container, base means for supporting said coiler head assembly above the stationary container, a coiler plate circumscribing said head plate and supported by said base means for rotation relative to the stationary container, an eccentric mounted between said coiler plate and head plate, a circular support wall fixedly connected to said eccentric and circumscribing said coiler head assembly, means for operatively connecting said coiler head assembly to said support wall and supporting said coiler head assembly for rotation relative to said support wall about a first axis offset relative to a central axis of the container, first drive means for rotating said coiler head assembly relative to both said support wall and container about the first axis to enable the sliver to form a coil having a plurality of loops as the sliver is fed into the container by said calender rolls, second drive means for rotating said coiler head assembly and coiler plate relative to said base means and container about asecond axis which is aligned with the central axis of the container simultaneously with the rotation of said coiler head assembly about the first axis to thereby displace the loops of sliver relative to each other, and means for enabling the position of said eccentric and support wall to be varied relative to said coiler plate to thereby vary the distance between the first and second axes and the relationship between said calender rolls and the container to locate the periphery of loops of sliver having dilferent thicknesses in the same relationship with a side of the container.

24. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 23 wherein said coiler head assembly further includes a head wall fixedly connected to an outer portion of said head plate and extending generally parallel to said support wall, said coiler assembly further including means operatively interconnecting said support wall and head wall for supporting said coiler head assembly for rotation relative to said support wall about the first axis upon operation of said first drive means.

25. A coiler assembly as set forth in claim 24 further including third drive means for effecting operation of said calender rolls to feed sliver into the container, said third drive means including a ring gear fixedly connected to and located on a radially inner side of said support wall and a drive gear operatively connected with said head plate at a location radially inwardly of said head wall and extending through an opening in said head wall into meshing engagement with said ring gear to effect operation of said calender rolls at a rate which is a direct function of the rate at which said coiler head assembly is rotated relative to said support wall by said first drive means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,345,701 10/1967 Eichenberger et al. l9l59 3,355,775 12/1967 Whitehurst 19-159 3,470,587 10/1969 Kincaid 19159 DORSEY NEWTON, Primary Examiner 

